CAS upholds FIFA sanction against Simunic for hate speech

LAUSANNE - The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has confirmed a sanction imposed by the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) against Croatia’s player Josip Simunic, who remains suspended during the 2014 FIFA World Cup final competition after leading a Croatian fascist salute following Croatia’s World Cup qualifying play-off victory over Iceland in Zagreb on November 19.

On Monday, the CAS confirmed the decision rendered by the FIFA Disciplinary Committee on December 12, 2013, which saw Simunic suspended for 10 official matches, banned from entering the confines of the stadiums for those 10 matches and fined CHF 30,000, FIFA said in a release.

After the victory in the November 19 match, Simunic took a microphone in his hand and shouted the infamous Croatian fascist (Ustasa) phrase 'For the homeland' and the Croatian fans replied by shouting 'Ready'.

The Ustasa regime in the World War Two pro-Nazi creation called the Independent State of Croatia (NDH) committed the crime of genocide killing several hundred thousand of Serbs, 80,000 Roma and 32,000 Jews.

AP Photo/Darko Bandic